147. The last counterattack
When the celebration was over, a physically exhausted Scholes was replaced by team-mate Michael Carrick in the 62nd minute. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ο½ο½ο½Uο½Eγ ο½ο½ο½ο½
"I'm sorry, Paul, for not letting you get the last assist." Qin Goode smiled and hugged the oldest teammate on the field.
Ginger Head punched him unceremoniously: "If you still let them complete the reversal in a 4-0 situation, then you just wait for me to scold you like a dog on TV and in the newspapers!" β
"If it is reversed, I will announce my retirement today." Qin Gude smiled and made a military order.
Scholes gave him a blank look and whispered, "Thank you." β
Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney also trotted to complete their hugs, followed by Ashley Young, Valencia, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Rafael, Patrice Evra...... Even David De Gea, who was furthest away, came to say goodbye to the team's big brother.
'It was Scholes' last game for Manchester United and he probably didn't play the whole game, so maybe he'll have some regrets. Duan Yixuan muttered.
"No, it's the perfect farewell game." He Wei did not agree with him, "In 60 minutes, he used all his strength to help the team he played for all his life to achieve a huge 4-0 advantage, and then handed it to the younger generation of teammates, for the low-key ginger head, his career has no regrets." β
ββPerhaps...... He only lacks a trophy for the national team?
But that England national team has never been a stage for him to perform, and in the era when Gerrard and Frank Lampard dominated the midfield, he was always just the humble ginger head on the bench.
Now he is retired.
United didn't have any star-studded farewell games for him, and he didn't give any media interviews.
He simply made a brief statement through Manchester United to announce his retirement after this game.
The crowd of 100,000 people rose from their seats to applaud the low-key midfielder.
Perhaps compared to players like Xavi, Pirlo, Andres Iniesta, and Alonso, he is not an absolute master.
But he has dedicated his best career to Manchester United for 20 years, and even resolutely chose to return in order to alleviate the team's midfield crisis after retiring for half a year.
He deserves all the applause on this pitch.
After saying goodbye to all his teammates on the field, Scholes walked off the pitch.
He has always been low-key and introverted, he did not shed tears under the camera, he just gave his mentor Ferguson a gentle high-five, and then put on the jacket handed by Giggs.
Giggs put his arm around his shoulder: "I envy you, Paul, for retiring in the Champions League final. β
However, he did not hear the old man's answer.
There was a slight tremor under his arm, just as his buddy had done when he made his senior debut on the bench 19 years ago.
So he patted Paul on the back as he did 19 years ago.
Ryan Giggs didn't sit on the bench for long, and less than ten minutes later, he and several other team-mates were instructed by Muhrensteen to start their final warm-up of the season.
Carrick's presence undoubtedly strengthened the defensive hardness in the middle, but it still seemed thin compared to Dortmund's crazy attack - after all, Qin Goode had also played nearly 70 minutes of the game, and his physical strength was close to the critical point.
But the Welsh winger has never been a defensive player and he doesn't think he will help Chingood and Carrick much in defence.
United still had two substitutions left but Muhrensteen called all six men on the bench to warm up. But as a veteran, Ryan Giggs didn't make the warm-up routine β what if Ferguson did let him play and use his experience to control the tempo, he would have made a regular cameo in the middle.
However, the old Scottish guy apparently did not do this, and in the 75th minute, he replaced Van Persie, who was satisfied with the goal, and put the 24-year-old Cleverley next to Qin Goode and Carrick......
'United switched to 451 in the final 15 minutes, with Ferguson's two substitutions targeting the centre and it looked like he was happy with the 4-0 scoreline.
Duan Yixuan said a very correct nonsense.
Even the most discerning fans and pundits have no reason to criticize Manchester United for choosing to defend without progress, when they are already four goals ahead, right?
With less than 15 minutes to go until full-time, Jurgen Klopp's side had completely abandoned their defence, Hummels used his long balls to find his team-mates in front of him, and Subotic also used his tall body to squeeze into the United penalty area and look for headers with Lewandowski, Grosskreutz, Gundogan and others.
Defensive midfielder Sven Bender was substituted ten minutes before the minute and he had some slight cramps after marking Qin Goode for nearly 70 minutes, and Klopp had to replace him with retiring captain Kyle, and directly pushed Kyle into the forward position, hoping to use his height to continue to fight for the header.
Full-court pressing, long balls at the back, and crosses from the wings...... The Nerazzurri, who once swept Europe with their rapid advances, now play more like a traditional English team.
And it's a completely desperate style of play.
Players like Shinji Kagawa and Shahin (returning) who lacked speed and height, watched the tall Kyle and the incredibly fast Perisic and others come on the pitch one by one, but they themselves had no choice but to sit on the bench.
However, more of their long balls were deflected by United's defenders, and Dortmund's possession rate was rapidly decreasing, and by the 80th minute, the possession ratio between the two sides had dropped further from 57 to 43 per cent to 65 per cent to 35 per cent......
The failure to do so was not the most frustrating of all, as it was a thronged attack in the 84th minute that led to Dortmund's eventual collapse.
Kyle finally got his hands on the ball from Hummels on the edge of the box, but Nemanja Vidic's close defence kept him out of the way and he had to rub the ball towards Lewandowski next to him, hoping that the Polish striker, who had blasted five goals in the two-legged clash with Barcelona, would find a way to shoot.
However, his header was spotted early on by a retreating Carrick, who was dubbed "The Invisible Man" at the perfect spot, completing the interception with a potentially thigh-straining move before sweeping the ball straight to right wing-back Rafael.
The 24-year-old, who was still at the bottom of his fitness compared to Patrice Evra on the left, immediately glanced forward after receiving the ball and quickly moved it to Valencia, who was 10 metres away.
Due to tactical needs, United's two wing-backs had almost retreated into the 30-metre zone in the final half-hour, more than half a pitch away from the opposition goal, and even the lone striker Wayne Rooney was no closer than them.
So Valencia could only knock the ball diagonally into Cleverley and then shake off his legs himself.
Clever didn't dare to control the ball in the middle at this point - Gundogan was already rushing towards him with a fierce momentum - he didn't have the slightest idea of standing up as a core hero in his head now, just honestly acting as a stake to pass the ball, passing the ball directly in front of him after Valencia picked up speed.
"Two over one!" Duan Yixuan, who had rested for nearly 10 minutes, finally spoke again, "Manchester United's counterattack is back in the rivers and lakes!" β
He Wei leaned back in his seat: "In Dortmund's backline, there are only two people left, Hummels and Schmelzer, but ......"
But...... Schmelzer had long since lost his ability to run.
He played against Valencia for 85 minutes and was completely inferior in terms of pace, and this time it looked like it was no different.
The Ecuadorian winger didn't have the stamina to make any more feints, he just slid the ball forward, then accelerated sharply, and used his strong body to squeeze past Schmelzer's pressing!
He was in front of him in an open area close to 50 meters!
Valencia is on a rampage with the last of her energy! (To be continued.) )